Stanislav Bogdanov ’09, M.B.A. ’12

Alumni

Stanislav Bogdanov ’09, M.B.A. ’12

Alumni

Co-founder of Boglio

Stanislav Bogdanov ’09, M.B.A. ’12, took an entrepreneurship class with Adelphi University Professor Thomas Shinick, and received advice that has been the driving force behind starting his own business ever since.

“Professor Shinick said that a lot of businesses fail for fear of taking risks,” Mr. Bogdanov said. “He asked, ‘What is the opposite of fear? It’s knowledge. The more you jump in, try it, and learn as you do without being afraid to fail, the more you will realize how you can start things…and succeed.’”

By March 2013, Mr. Bogdanov had launched Boglio, a technology company focused on educational technology and e-learning, with co-founder Louis Di Meglio, one of the first friends he made at Adelphi.

Born and raised in Bulgaria, Mr. Bogdanov came to Adelphi in 2004, and credits Mr. Di Meglio with introducing him to New York.

“Louis and I were living on the same floor in Earle Hall,” he recalled. “A bunch of us would pile into Louis’ car and he’d give us a tour around Brooklyn, bring us to see the skyline from the Manhattan Bridge, take us to some of New York’s best pizza places.”

While Mr. Di Meglio transferred from Adelphi in 2006, the two remained close friends.

“I was a part of one of Adelphi’s first classes of Kappa Sigma,” Mr. Di Meglio said. “That connection kept me in touch with Adelphi and continues to do so. My foundation is here.”

Mr. Bogdanov said he always saw himself working for something he was passionate about on his own. Over the years, as Mr. Bogdanov and Mr. Di Meglio’s friendship grew, they often talked about collaborating on a business together. They realized, given their shared experiences and interests in technology, they had the potential to bring exceptional interactive e-learning opportunities to those who need it.

“What we’ve found in speaking with people is that they are tired of larger companies coming in with cookie cutter style software that ends up not being what they wanted,” Di Meglio said.

“We’re probably going to stay small,” Mr. Bogdanov added. “We’re not the type of business that will just take 100 clients and build them something that only satisfies the basic requirements. We listen to what they want, and we deliver.”

Mr. Bogdanov explained that they are willing to take on programs from grant-subsidized projects for nonprofits to contract work for multimillion-dollar corporations, and are particularly interested in projects that contribute to society. “We don’t want to work just to make a profit; we also hope to help nonprofits…help educational institutions,” he said.

When Adelphi caught up with Mr. Boglio’s founders, one of the projects they were working on was with a Ph.D. researcher from Columbia University who was doing long-term studies with HIV and cancer patients.

“She is working with something called a digital pill box that has the ability to dispense and track pills at certain times,” said Mr. Bogdanov, who explained Boglio’s expertise was requested to bring that study into the digital realm, to make it is easier for the research team to track what they need to with the patients, take recordings and help remind the patients to take their pills.

“After bone marrow transplants, cancer patients are at times taking up to 20 pills a day. And it’s very important that they take all these pills, and at specific times. If they miss a couple days’ worth of pills they could actually die. When you think about it, it’s a project that could potentially save lives,” said Mr. Bogdanov, who also hopes to create some sort of application that integrates with the pill box itself to augment its tracking and reminding capabilities.

Mr. Bogdanov said he feels extremely lucky to have Boglio off the ground and doing so well in its first year. He echoes Mr.r Shinick’s advice in his encouragement to other young alumni innovators who may have an idea, but are hesitant to take a leap: “Jump in, learn as you go, and don’t be afraid to fail. I think it’s been ingrained in us to fear failure, but if you embrace it when it comes to entrepreneurship, I think you can go really far.”

Looking to get your foot in the educational technology field? Check out some of the ways Mr. Bogdanov is jumping in…

HACKA-WHAT? “A hackathon is an event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development—including graphic designers, project managers—collaborate intensively on software projects,” explained Mr. Bogdanov. At the TechCrunch Disrupt 2013 Hackathon, Boglio developed Q-Fit, a fitness Q-and-A app that aims to connect fitness professionals and users in a meaningful way.

IT’S ALL ABOUT NETWORKING Watching the instructional and educational technology fields experiencing significant growth, yet realizing there are few organizations aimed to bring specifically instructional/educational technologists together to help shape the future of their fields, Mr. Bogdanov established New York Instructional and Educational Technologists. Through this group, colleagues have the opportunity to share ideas, network and collaborate on projects at events on Long Island and in New York City.